Slipped Away
by Redzy
Summary: Nathan dies when he tried to save Rachel and Cooper. But is he really gone? COMPLETE
1. Suddenly I Miss Everyone

**Slipped Away**

Summary: Nathan dies when he tried to save Rachel and Cooper. But is he really gone?

A/N: Yes, I am starting another story. This will be a few chapters at most. I know I still have Always and Forever and The Hero Lives in this One, but just had this bit of inspiration when I watched the Championship episode when Keith came back. I love Nathan and I think he is such an important character to the show and he affects everyone, not just Haley or Lucas. I just feel Nathan has sort of been left out a lot in the current season, maybe I am imagining it. Anyway, here it is. This story is from Nathan's Point of View.

Chapter One: Suddenly I Miss Everyone

**I miss you, miss you so bad**

**I don't forget you, oh it's so sad**

**I hope you can hear me**

**I remember it clearly**

"_We lost him." I heard the doctor said morbidly. _

A lot of people say that when you die, your life flashes before your eyes. But that didn't happen to me. The only thing that flashed before me was Haley.

I saw Haley the moment they told her. That I was really gone. I wanted to walk over to her and kiss her and hold her in my arms and tell her everything is going to be okay. But I know that is not true at all.

I saw her collapse in Lucas' arms, still in her wedding dress. This is not how this day was supposed to end.

**The day you slipped away**

**Was the day I found it won't be the same**

**Ooooh**

This so much like when I took steroids before the basketball game, that was the day I realized nothing else matters but Haley.

"_When I fell to the floor tonight, I was so scared, I was so terrified. Then I saw you, and I promised myself that if I could just get up, I'd walk over to you... I'd tell you how much I need you and how much I want you... and how nothing else matters."_

That night feels similar to this. I couldn't go over and tell her how I felt. Now I never will be able to.

**I didn't get around to kiss you**

**Goodbye on the hand**

**I wish that I could see you again**

**I know that I can't**

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Lucas was pacing around his room. This year had to be the worst of his life. Keith is dead. And now Nathan has just died too.

**Oooooh**

**I hope you can hear me **

**cause I remember it clearly**

"Hey Luke" Nathan said casualty as he walked in through the door.

"Nathan? What the heck?" He jumped up from his spot of the bed to across the room.

"Luke you look like you have just seen a ghost. Kind of ironic, since I kind of am one."

"This can't be happening. You're dead. You jumped off the bridge to save Cooper and Rachel and they said you died."

"I did." Nathan said simply.

"Then how am I talking to you now?" Lucas asked, simply stunned.

"Because I am gone, and I need to talk to you about some things for when I am gone."

**The day you slipped away**

**Was the day I found it won't be the same**

**Ooooh**

"Nathan, I have heard some pretty crazy stories about how people act when they are working through greif, but even I didn't think I would act crazy."

"Luke, you aren't acting crazy. I just have to talk to you. Then I will actually be gone forever."

"Why Nate? Please reason with someone up there. You have a family. A wife. A mother. Even and bastard dad who needs you so he can be a better man. You also have a brother."

"I also have a son on the way." Nathan said, a tear rolling down from his eye.

**I had my wake up**

**Won't you wake up**

**I keep asking why**

**And I can't take it**

**It wasn't fake**

**It happened, you passed by**

"What? Haley is pregnant?"

"Yeah she never told me. I think she was going to right before I jumped off the bridge."

"Wow, I am going to be an uncle." Lucas said to no one in particular.

"Can we go somewhere to talk?"

"Where are we going?" Luke asked.

"The Rivercourt."

**Now you are gone, now you are gone**

**There you go, there you go**

**Somewhere I can't bring you back**

**Now you are gone, now you are gone**

**There you go, there you go,**

**Somewhere your not coming back**

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"What are we doing here Nate?"

"It all started here Luke. All of it. Me and Haley, in a weird way. It all started after that game. Do you know what would have happened if our had had picked to stay with Karen instead of my mom? I do." He said.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Everything. Even in another universe, we still play that game. We are meant to be brothers. Our relationship makes everyone's life better. Our Mom's are friends. I married Haley. You have Peyton and Brooke. Ravens have winning seasons. Well, maybe except Dan's." Nathan spoke

Lucas had a laugh at that. "Yeah, everything does seem better when we get along."

**The day you slipped away**

**Was the day I found it won't be the same noo..**

**The day you slipped away**

**Was the day that I found it won't be the same **

**oooh...**

"It is. If it wasn't for you winning that night. I would have never met Haley. We both would have retreated back into our respective worlds and never crossed paths again. But you won, and I wanted revenge. So I went after Haley and fell in love with her. She changed me."

"Nathan, why are we here?"

"Because I need a few favors."

Lucas looked at him in the eyes. "Anything you want."

"I need you too make sure my Mom stays clean. I know she is back on drugs and that is only going to lead to more trouble. I need you to keep taking you medicene for your HCM. No matter what."

"Done and Done."

"You need to choose between Brooke and Peyton. Stop putting their friendship through so much pain and suffering."

"I'll try man."

"And I need you to raise my son right. James. That's the name Haley will pick. I know it. Make sure he knows he is loved more than anything in the world."

"Of course Nate."

"And one more thing." Nathan said as he looked down.

"What is it man?"

"Make sure Jamie doesn't forget me? Make sure he knows I loved him more than anyone. Don't let him forget me."

"Now you listen to me Nathan." Lucas grabbed him by the shoulders. "That boy is going to know his father. He will know what a hero you were. He will not go a day without seeing your face and smile. Without knowing how proud of him you would be."

"Thanks Luke" Nathan looked around. "I got to go now."

"Nathan, please…."

"I love you Luke." Nathan said, taking one last look around. "Hey, it means nothing if you can't knock down the shot."

Lucas looked at Nathan questioningly and then looked down and saw a basketball. He picked it up and shot from the three point line and made the shot. He looked around for Nathan, but her only saw, on the black top, _Goodbye _written in chalk.

**I miss you**

Love it? Hate it? Review! Next Chapter will be posted soon.


	2. They’ll Never Know

**Slipped Away**

Summary: Nathan dies when he tried to save Rachel and Cooper. But is he really gone?

A/N: Yes, I am starting another story. This will be a few chapters at most. I know I still have Always and Forever and The Hero Lives in this One, but just had this bit of inspiration when I watched the Championship episode when Keith came back. I love Nathan and I think he is such an important character to the show and he affects everyone, not just Haley or Lucas. I just feel Nathan has sort of been left out a lot in the current season, maybe I am imagining it. Anyway, here it is. This story is from Nathan's Point of View. I know it will be sad, but sad stories are the ones that you remeber the most.

**Chapter Two: They'll Never Know**

_**Hush, baby don't cry**_

_**Just get through this night**_

_**Overcome**_

Haley was a mess. Well, wouldn't you be if you lost your husband, when you had thought you just got him back. To top it off, on the day of your wedding? A day that was supposed to be the best day of your life just turned into your worst nightmare.

"_I could love you forever."_

"_So could I."_

"_You're my family now Haley. The true thing I have. I never wanna lose you."_

" _You won't."_

He never promised I wouldn't lose him.

_**Cuz all that you are**_

_**Is broken inside**_

_**But they'll never know**_

_**They'll never know**_

"Hey Peyton" Lucas said as he entered her room.

It had been two days since Nathan had tried to save Cooper and Rachel. He was successful. Only that didn't lighten the dreary fact that he was gone. Forever. Barely anyone even knew about Nathan. Dan used his status as Mayor to keep it out of the news to spare Haley. She shouldn't have to watch that.

He had been feeling uneasy ever since he had "talked" to him or his ghost. He wasn't sure if he should tell anyone.

"Luke… I don't know what to do." Peyton was pacing around the room.

"What are you talking about?"

"I lost my drawing." She was tearing her room apart looking for a drawing?

"Peyt, what drawing?" Lucas asked confused.

"My drawing I drew for Nathan." Lucas visibly winced at the mention of his brother. He couldn't take her like this, he had to get out. He left. Nothing made sense anymore.

_**Don't think that they'll change**_

_**They push you away**_

_**Far from home**_

"Hey Peyton" Nathan, or ghost of Nathan, said.

"Oh no! Not again!" Peyton said shoving her face into her pillow.

"What? Already been haunted by a ghost before?"

"Yeah actually. What is it now?"

"Where's the picture Peyton?"

"I can't find it." Peyton sighed. "Why does it matter? The message isn't true anymore "Sometimes they come back"? That's crap." Peyton said, tears falling down her face.

"That's not true."

"YOU AREN'T COMING BACK! You left! You can't come back! People always leave, intentionally or not." Peyton yelled to the ghost. "Why are you doing this to me Nate? Why me?"

"Because I love you. We were friends. When Haley left, that drawing helped me keep the faith. That in some rare chance, even if people always leave, sometimes they come back. And she did! She came back. Those four words. They brought me hope. They brought me calm. That maybe if I just kept believing, that my Haley would come back to me. She did."

"Nathan, I miss you. I love you. But you aren't coming back." She said as she hugged him.

"I know. But I need a favor."

"Great a ghost asking favors. What do you need?"

"You know that hope you gave me? Give it to Haley. She'll need it." Nathan said, tears also in his eyes.

_**Cuz all that they are**_

_**Is broken inside**_

_**But they'll never know**_

_**They'll never know**_

"Why don't you just go visit her?" Peyton asked.

"Because if I go visit her, I won't be able to leave." Nathan answered. It was true. He couldn't see her like this, knowing he was the one causing her pain.

"How do I give her that hope? I mean what do I say? 'Sometimes they come back from the grave'?"

"Just be her friend. Remind her I loved her more than anyone. That she was my soul mate and I don't regret one second with her."

"That's all well and great, but that won't help her right now. When my mom died, I knew she loved me. That hurt even more people telling me that."

"Peyton, just help her. I obviously can't." Nathan looked down.

_**Don't you cry tonight**_

_**Rest your weary eyes**_

_**Cuz all that you are**_

_**Is broken inside**_

_**It's nothing you could changeI**_

_**t's nothing you could hide**_

_**It's nothing you could hide**_

"You know Haley knows Rachel caused all of this? She grabbed the wheel." Peyton revealed.

"Yeah, I know. She probably hates her." Nathan said. "But, Rachel probably feels worse."

"Why are you defending her? She basically killed you! She is the one that caused all of this mess. You and Haley were happy. You were going to get away from your Dad and have a new family with Haley again! You were so close Nate. To having everything, having a wife, playing basketball, you had it all. Everything most people only dream of having. You made us all think we could get it. But you're gone."

" You forgot something in that list. I also have a son."

"What?" She said astonished

Pink flowers and bowsThat's all you should knowAnd summer days

"Yeah… Haley is pregnant."

"She told you?" Peyton asked, this made this whole situation even shittier.

"No, but I guess that is a privilege of the dead." He said, morbidly chuckling.

"Nathan, why did you jump off that bridge? You left so much."

"I guess I wanted to help. I wanted to be a good man."

"You are."

"I guess I wanted to make up for all that I time I was a jerk. I think about those times. I wishing I had known Lucas before. Wishing I treated you better. Ever think how it would all turn out? If I wasn't a jack ass like Dan?"

"Yeah. You and Haley. Same way."

"Yeah, I think so too."

Peyton jolted of her bed from her slumber. She then saw a piece of paper in the middle of her bed. 'Sometimes they come back.'

"Thanks Nate." She looked down. "I'll miss you." She knew things would never be the same again.

_**Cuz all that you are**_

_**Is beautiful child**_

_**But they'll never know**_

_**They'll never know**_

'Swish', perfect shot.

The shot means nothing now.

'_Cause all this means nothing if you can't knock down that shot.'_

"What are you doing here Lucas?" Whitey Durham said to his player, as he walked across the high school basket ball court..

"Does it matter now?""What's the matter Lucas? You and Nathan have a fight?" Lucas laughed at that.

"No coach."

"What is it? I leave for a weekend and now what happened? How was the wedding?"

"Nathan is dead."

The silence of the gym was deafening. Whitey wasn't expecting to ever hear those words be said, as least in his lifetime. That boy was one of the strongest people he knew.

"What?"

"Rachel and Cooper stole their wedding Limo. Then, the limo lost control and drove off the Molina Bridge. Haley and Nathan were on the way to the airport. They saw the scene unfold. Nathan, being the stupid ass he is, jumped off to try to save them. He succeeded. Yet he failed to do one thing."

"What is that?"

"Save himself."

_**So don't you cry tonight**_

_**Rest your precious eyes**_

_**Cuz all that you areIs beautiful child**_

_**It's nothing they could change**_

_**It's nothing you could hide**_

_**It's nothing you should hide**_

"I can't believe this."

"First Keith, now Nathan. GOD DAMMIT!" Lucas shouted and threw the ball across the court.

"Why even bother anymore? Nothing makes sense." Lucas said." You know, the day of the school shooting, I told him that most heroes are dead. You know what he said? He said it was Haley. I hate that he did this. He knew what Keith did and what happened to him."

"_**Open your eyes. You know that's not true."**_

"What?" Lucas answered to the voice.

"Lucas I didn't say anything." Whitey said, tears falling down his face.

_**Cuz all that you are**_

_**Is beautiful child**_

_**But they'll never know**_

_**They'll never know**_

"Lucas I have got to go." Whitey said. "You are right. None of this is worth it anymore. Too much has been lost to come back. I don't really want to either."

And with that Lucas was left alone in his thoughts.

"_**OPEN YOUR EYES."**_

Those words haunted him. He just couldn't figure out what they meant.

Love it? Hate it? Drop a review.

A/N: Like the new spin? I really this idea of Lucas taking Dan down, will he figure it out? I know I haven't mentioned Haley much yet, but she is coming!

Thanks all!


	3. When You're Gone

**Slipped Away**

Summary: Nathan dies when he tried to save Rachel and Cooper. But is he really gone?

A/N: Yes, I am starting another story. This will be a few chapters at most. I know I still have Always and Forever and The Hero Lives in this One, but just had this bit of inspiration when I watched the Championship episode when Keith came back. I love Nathan and I think he is such an important character to the show and he affects everyone, not just Haley or Lucas. I just feel Nathan has sort of been left out a lot in the current season, maybe I am imagining it. Anyway, here it is. This story is from Nathan's Point of View.

Someone asked me what the song was in the first chapter: it was "Slipped away" by Avril Lavigne

The second chapter's song was "They'll never know" by Ross Copperman

This chapter's song is "When You're Gone" by Avril Lavigne- these songs are all on youtube- check them out. They are really sad.

Chapter Three: When You're Gone

**_I always needed time on my own,  
I never thought I'd, need you there when I cried.  
And the days feel like years when I'm alone,  
And the bed where you lie,  
Is made up on your side._**

His best friend hasn't gotten out of bed in days. She had finally gone back to their apartment, only to find the next furniture and London set up Nathan had put up for her. All that pain. All the heartache. They all realized it wouldn't ever go away. They loved him.

No matter how much they prayed, he wasn't coming back. A thought that killed him. Shocked him to the very core.

_**When you walk away  
I count the steps that you take  
Do you see how much I need you right now**_?

_Knock. Knock….Knock._

Haley finally woke out of her semi-conscious state to knocking at the door. Who the hell is it now? She wondered.

She walked to the door. Not even bothering to wipe the tear stains from her cheeks, or even bother to run her fingers through her hair. All she did was pray. Pray that Nathan would come back.

She opened the door and there stood Coach Durham. He saw a broken girl before him. And that scared him.

"Haley." was all he said.

"What do you want?" she asked him, clearly not caring why he was here, only wanting to go back to her bed and try to feel him still there. Just one bit of him.

"I came to see how you were doing."

"Well as you can see, I am doing fabulous. Planning a party actually." She said, anger in her voice. "How do you think I am doing?"

"I know…"

"You don't know anything Whitey. You don't know how it feels to have your husband be ripped out of your grasp at eighteen. You don't know what it is like to lay in bed for days just wishing that you had a simple fight and he would come through the door, smile and be with me again. You don't know how much I want this to be just one huge nightmare. I can't sleep without him. I can't deal with this." She yelled, tears falling down her face. "You don't know what it is like to be all alone in the world. You don't know what it feels like to have what is supposed to be the best day of you life turn into your worst nightmare."

Whitey just stood there against the door. He let her vent. She needed it.

"You don't know what it is like to be pregnant and alone and be having thoughts of just ending it all right now. I can be with him if I want to."

"Haley don't you dare talk like that! Nathan…"

"You have no idea what Nathan would want." Haley looked at him. "Don't say you think you do. You don't. No one does."

She fell to her knees in tears, sobbing.

"Please… I just want him back." She sobbed on the floor. Whitey trying his best to comfort the broken girl, the girl that would never recover for losing a piece of herself.

_**When you're gone,  
The pieces of my heart are missing you!  
When you're gone,  
The face I came to know is missing too!  
When you're gone,  
All the words I need to hear to always get me through the day...  
And make it OK...  
I miss you.**_

Karen knocked in the door of Lucas' room.

"Hey honey", she said as she walked in to see him on his bed staring up at the ceiling.

"Hi," was all he said to her.

"Do you need anything?" She asked, trying to comfort her son without pushing the subject.

"Yeah… I need my brother."

Lucas' nightmare haven't subsided in the least. The words: _"You realize I wouldn't be in this situation if it wasn't for you. If you'd stayed in your place at the river court I never would have met Haley. You ruined my life, man. You'd better watch your back."_

Even though Nathan didn't mean them, they haunted him. If he had never gone out for the team. He would have never met Haley. Haley and Nathan would never had met and wouldn't have gotten married. Then, there would have been no limo to actually crash. Then his brother would still be alive.

"Oh, honey, I know you do." Karen said as she walked over sit it beside her son.

"We lost so much time."

"What?" Karen said confused.

"Me and Nathan. We had sixteen years of totally ignoring each other. Hating each other. Now he's gone. We had a year together. He was one of my best friends. He was my brother. We came that far in a year. What could we have done with triple that time? He wouldn't have been a bad person. We wouldn't of had to go through all of that pain. Now he is gone."

Karen's heart broken for her son. His brother died. A brother that he just started to get to know and love. Life was just plain cruel sometimes.

Nathan didn't deserve this fate. He had just gotten his dream back. His love back.

"_When Haley told me about the tour, I got mad at her. Told her that if she left with Chris, it was over. I didn't really mean it. She left anyway."_

_"Nathan…" _

_"She's not coming back. What am I gonna do?"_

_"Nathan, I know what it's like to have the person you love walk away. Trust me. But I know Haley and she's a good person. She'll do the right thing. You just have to have a little faith."_

How could she tell Lucas to have faith after this? Nathan didn't go on tour and be back in a few months. Her son lost his brother. How was she supposed to make that better? He was gone forever.

_**I've never felt this way before,  
Everything that I do,  
Reminds me of you.  
And the clothes you left,  
They lie on the floor,  
And they smell just like you,  
I love the things that you do!**_

"Hey," Brooke said as she entered Peyton's room.

"Hi, didn't expect you around here." Peyton said cryptically as she continued to draw on her bed.

"What are you working on?" Brooke asked after a few moments of silence.

Brooke walked over to Peyton and sat down beside her to see the drawing.

It was a picture of the bridge, of the limo going off of it and at the bottom, it cryptically said: _No Good Deed Goes Unpunished. _

"Peyton…" Brooke's heart broke at the sight of that picture. A picture that told the horrid truth. This was not something that was supposed to happen.

"I have to draw the truth."

"Peyton, despite everything that has happened in the last few days. I want you to know I still love you. This whole ordeal has made me realize that this thing we have :life, it is so easily lost. We can't take too many chances with it or we will gamble it all away."

Peyton had no words, she just hugged her best friend, never wanted to let her go.

_**When you walk away  
I count the steps that you take  
Do you see how much I need you right now?  
**_

Rachel took one last look at Tree Hill. She put the last of her bags in to her truck and prepared to leave for good.

She caused this town too much grief. Too much pain. Pain that they should have never even have had to deal with.

A man lost his life.

A wife lost her husband.

A mother lost her son.

A father lost his son.

A boy lost his brother.

Two girls lost their friends.

A baby lost their father.

A world lost someone who could make a difference in it.

She couldn't think about it anymore. She had to get away. Away from all of the pain she created. Away from the lives that she sent straight to hell.

_**When you're gone,  
The pieces of my heart are missing you!  
When you're gone,  
The face I came to know is missing too!  
And when you're gone,  
The words I need to hear to always get me through the day...  
And make it OK...  
I miss you.**_

_"Does it get any easier watching them like this?" Nathan asked._

_Keith frowned. "Never."_

_"Why can't we just tell them what happed to you? Let Dan rot in jail." Nathan said, angered at the information Keith had revealed to him._

_"We can't. He has to figure it out on his own."_

_"What about Haley? I left my child alone in the world."_

_"So did I Nate, we just have to sit and watch, and hope they never forget us." Keith sighed. "Hope goes a long way. Sometimes it helps people an inch from death, still pray for better. And believe it will happen."_

_**We were made for each other,  
Out here forever,  
I know we were,  
Yeah Yeah!  
All I ever wanted was for you to know,  
Everything I do I give my heart and soul,  
I can hardly breathe I need to feel you here with me...  
Yeah!**_

Haley woke up in her bed, seeing that sunshine was coming through the window.

How can the sun rise when Nathan is gone?

She closed her eyes had felt something breeze against her.

_"Don't say I never gave you anything."_

When she opened her eyes, she saw the bracelet that Nathan had given her on her wirst.

She couldn't hold her tears in any longer as she let them fall.

"I love you." She whispered to the air as she closed her eyes.

_I love you too. Always and Forever… _and she finally slept. A sleep that filled her with hope. Hope that, he didn't really leave her, at least not totally. She still has his heart.

_**When you're gone,  
The pieces of my heart are missing you!  
When you're gone,  
The face I came to know is missing too!  
When you're gone,  
The words I need to hear will always get me through the day...  
And make it OK...  
I miss you!**_

Love it? Hate it? Drop a review.

Please keep review. I love reading all of you comments and suggestions.

I think this story is almost over, unless anyone has any great ideas to keep it going. I had a few more things I want to definitely get out of this, maybe two or three more chapters.

LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!

Thanks All!


	4. The World Spins Madly On

**Slipped Away**

Summary: Nathan dies when he tried to save Rachel and Cooper. But is he really gone?

A/N: Yes, I am starting another story. This will be a few chapters at most. I know I still have Always and Forever and The Hero Lives in this One, but just had this bit of inspiration when I watched the Championship episode when Keith came back. I love Nathan and I think he is such an important character to the show and he affects everyone, not just Haley or Lucas. I just feel Nathan has sort of been left out a lot in the current season, maybe I am imagining it. Anyway, here it is.

Chapter Four: The World Spins Madly On

_**Woke up and wished that I was dead**_

_**With an aching in my head **_

_**I lay motionless in bed**_

_**I thought of you and where you'd gone**_

_**and let the world spin madly on**_

Lucas didn't know what to do. So he wrote. On laptop, we see a black document.

The only words were "_In A World That Only Knows Darkness_"

He then began to write.

_One Minute can change your life. One split second decision. Even if the decision is supposed to save people and it is the right thing to do, it doesn't always turn out right or give you that treasured happy ending. _

_I've learned that things change, people change, and it doesn't mean you forget the past or try to cover it up. It simply means that you move on and treasure the memories. Letting go doesn't mean giving up... it means accepting what you have at this moment in time. You never know if you are going to lose it. And even though it hurts, you pull through, because you know those you lost would be ashamed if you didn't. _

He told the story and all the heart ache it caused. If only for himself. He needed to get it out. Then he would try to heal. Heal the wounds that he thought would never turn to scars. They would always be fresh. But, he could at least try to clean them.

_**Everything that I said I'd do**_

_** Like make the world brand new**_

_**And take the time for you**_

_**I just got lost and slept right through the dawn**_

_** And the world spins madly on**_

Brooke cried. She didn't do this much.

She mourned the loss of an old friend.

She mourned he dreams he would never accomplish.

She mourned all the people he left behind to live a life without him.

She mourned a wife that he left behind, that he jus got back.

She mourned that part Haley that died along with Nathan.

She mourned for herself.

Brooke looked back on the past two years. So much had changed. So many people who had changed, some for the better and some for the worse.

She mourned the brand-new person Nathan had become from being with Haley. A person that the world would never get to see.

She finally mourned the lives that would never be changed by Nathan Scott.

Those lives suddenly had less to look forward to.

_**I let the day go by**_

_** I always say goodby**__**e**_

_**I watch the stars from my window sill **_

_**The whole world is moving and I'm standing still**_

Haley tried to shoot the ball into the hoop. But she couldn't do. She was at the River court. She willed him to come to her like he did once before.

Maybe if she sucked enough he would laugh and come help her with the shot.

She threw the ball in the air again. It hit the ground no where near the Basket. And she looked around for any sign of him. Nothing.

A tear came down her cheek. He was really gone.

She turned to walk over to the bleachers and threw the ball over her shoulder.

Haley turned around once more, just in time to see her ball hit the rim of the net gently, balance on the rim for a second, and fell through the net with a swoosh.

She gazed in awe of what happened.

_**Woke up and wished that I was dead **_

_**With an aching in my head**_

_** I lay motionless in bed**_

_**The night is here and the day is gone**_

_**And the world spins madly on**_

Whitey Durham was a lot of things. He was a widow. He was a coach. And one boy said words that made him a mentor.

"_So you're just going to quit, huh? Win 500 games and walk away?"He looked at Nathan in shock. "I did a little research in the library." "You were in the library? Temperature must have dropped in hell. I promised Camilla I'd win 500 games then walk away. We were going to grow old together." He said. "You're already old, coach. Besides who's going to yell at me, huh?" _

" _I'm not supposed to yell at you, Nathan, you're supposed to learn things." He yelled at Nathan._

"_Yeah but what fun would that be? You love yelling at me." Nathan laughed. _

" _I do not!" Whitey yelled again. _

" _Yes you do. You love to yell at me and I love to make you yell." Nathan laughed again at his coach. _

"_Well if you'd listen once and a while you knucklehead!" Whitey said, frustrated. _

"_You know not many coaches win 500 games." Nathan pointed out. " No not many high school coaches win 500 games, you know why? Cause they move up to the next level. To carpeted locker rooms and air-conditioned buses, and games that matter.""That's a bunch of crap coach. And you know it. These are the games that matter. They matter to kids who are just trying to figure themselves out. Figure out who they're going to be. Look, the other day, you asked me if you've made a difference. Well you have. At least with me." He turned to go, but waits._

" _Son. At some point, you've got to do it on your own." Whitey sighed." Yeah at some point. We both know I've got a long way to go, coach. Just don't give up on me." Nathan said as he walked out. _

Whitey sits back and remembers that conversation with the boys as he drives down the road. All of the hassle he went through with that boy. He would go through it ten times over again if it would bring him back. Back to his family. He had changed into a man that he had become so proud of a man. His death made his an even more bitter old man, a man that doesn't understand why couldn't they take him instead of a boy who just started living. Can't god take a man that just wants to be done with life and meet his wife?

Whitey pulled off the side of the road and pulled the car out of gear. "Tree Hill Cemetery" the sign ahead of him read.

He walked down the path until he spotted someone.

Dan Scott.

"I hues you got what you wanted." Whitey said.

Dan turned around to face the old man, away from the grave of his brother and son. "What are you talking about, Old Man?" He sneered.

"Now you only have one son. No more complications." Whitey said bitterly.

"How dare you!" Dan yelled back. "I loved my son."

"Really? Just like you loved your brother? Or your other son? Danny boy, you have a weird way of showing you love." Whitey spoke calmly, laughing sadly to himself.

He walked away from this madness his life had become. He was tired of losing people. People that deserved to stay in the world.

_**I thought of you and where you'd gone**_

_** And the world spins madly on.**_

_A/N : Not much in this chapter, but I am wrestling with how to bring out my next storyline in the plot_

_Love it? Hate it? Review!_

_Thanks all!!_


	5. Waking up from this Nightmare

**Slipped Away**

Summary: Nathan dies when he tried to save Rachel and Cooper. But is he really gone?

A/N: Yes, I am starting another story. This will be a few chapters at most. I know I still have Always and Forever and The Hero Lives in this One, but just had this bit of inspiration when I watched the Championship episode when Keith came back. I love Nathan and I think he is such an important character to the show and he affects everyone, not just Haley or Lucas. I just feel Nathan has sort of been left out a lot in the current season, maybe I am imagining it. Anyway, here it is.

The Song for this chapter is Empty Apartment by Yellowcard. Just for those who want to know!

Chapter Five: Waking up from this Nightmare 

_**Call me out**_

_**You stayed inside**_

_**One you love is where you hide**_

_**Shot me down as I flew by**_

_**Crash and burn**_

_**I think sometimes you forget where the heart is**_

Nathan walked through the black door that lead to Lucas' room. Sighing, he went in. Luke was at his laptop, as he was everyday this week, typing away at his book.

Nathan went in as he always did and leaned over his shoulder to read how far he had gotten.

He read:

_Chapter Seven- Questions_

_A traumatic event can cause you to do some pretty insane things. Things that seem completely out of the ordinary. Like Question things that are accepted._

_Would the world simply be better in black and white?_

_Would it simply help soothe people's despair?_

_Even if it could spare just one person's feelings?_

_Could it mask a widow's grief?_

_Would her brown eyes seem less…empty?_

_With No color, would it be easier to simply make it through the day?_

_All I know , is that no matter what you try to do, we can't erase that pain we see in her eyes. The part of her that died with her husband- something replaced that- something that will never leave her ever again- something that can't be snatched away so suddenly like her husband was - pain__._

_She wasn't the only one to robbed. The world was too. The world has also become a lesser place without this soul. Just like the widow became a lesser person. _

Lucas' words cut him like a knife. He still hadn't had the courage to come to Haley yet. But he had been with her everyday.

He saw every tear she shed. He cried every tear she cried. He saw every time she touched her stomach , knowing that her baby would never meet his or her Daddy. This killed her with every thought.

He just couldn't yet. He couldn't say goodbye. Not when he had every reason to stay.

_**Answer no to these questions**_

_**Let her go**_

_**Learn a lesson**_

_**It's not me**_

_**You're not listening now**_

_**Can't you see something's missing**_

Everyone could see that Haley wasn't doing well at all. She had gone from bad to worse. Her once cheery face and colorful eyes are now gray. Her once flowing hair was now dead straight and pulled up into a messy ponytail, Haley obviously did not care enough to do anything with it.

They had seen her go through her days like a zombie. Everyone could tell she was barely even there. She was elsewhere. The only place she wanted to be.

When she had finally gone back to school, well, to put it lightly, that hadn't gone so well.

_Flashback_

_"Hey Hales," Peyton said as she picked her up for school._

_Haley got in the comet and just nodded at her and buckled her seatbelt. She barely showed any emotion._

_"So did you finish that Calc homework? It was a total bitch." Peyton said, attempted at normal conversation._

_"No," was all Haley said._

_"Haley Scott, not doing her homework?" Peyton questioned, attempting a joke._

_"No, I didn't exactly have time. You see , I had to plan my husband's funeral. So, I didn't exactly have time to do homework." Haley snapped._

_End Flashback_

_**You forget where the heart is**_

_**Take you away from that empty apartment**_

_**You stay and forget where the heart is**_

_**Someday**_

_**If ever you love me you'd say it's okay**_

Karen had so much to do today. She was one waiter short and had no idea how to handle all of this. Life had really gone to the crapper. Her Fiancée was killed. Her son's brother died.

She knew the world couldn't be this cruel.

But Karen laughed at this notion, because she didn't know anything anymore.

_**Waking up from this nightmare**_

_**How's your life**_

_**What's it like there**_

_**Is it all what you want it to be**_

"Deb?" Dan said, as he entered her bedroom. He saw tissues scattered across the room. Bottles of vodka, empty, all over the floor and lost in the fabric of her bed linens.

"Hmpppph" was the only response he got.

"Deb, you have to get up." Dan spoke as he began to pick up the bottles and trash around the room.

"What is the point?"

"The point is that Nathan would not want you to do this to yourself." Dan said.

"You don't know what he would think." She muttered into her pillow.

_**Does it hurt when you think about me and how broken my heart is**_

_**Take you away from that empty apartment**_

_**You stay and forget where the heart is**_

_**Someday**_

_**If ever you love me you'd say it's okay**_

It hit the rim, then fell away from it, not making its normal swoosh through the net.

Things just weren't right anymore. And it wasn't just because the world was short one Scott. But because it was missing two. One Scott died successfully saving two lives.

The other Scott had no choice in the matter. He was selfishly taken away from a world that was in no way ready to let him go. But no one knew that.

Lucas shot the ball towards the net yet again, attempting to try and make a shot, but failing as he had the last ten times.

Whitey walked into the gym in the morning as he always did, only to be greeted by a person playing basketball.

Only this boy didn't look like he was simply playing basketball. He looked like he was trying to find answers that he was sure the game didn't hold.

"Son, you have to go home." Whitey tried to say.

"No," was all he said in reply

"Luke, I know this is had and I know this is hard for me too but…"

"But what? What Whitey? What should I do? What is the point to any of this? All I know is that there is something that my conscience is telling me. It is telling me that something isn't right here. I don't know what it is. And I have been wracking my brain trying to put the pieces together. And I feel like I am missing a piece…" Lucas mutter, to both himself and Whitey.

"Well, son, maybe you just have to give it time. It will come to you."

"What would you say if for some reason… I didn't believe Jimmy Edwards killed Keith?"

"I would say that your mind may be telling you something after all, and if your mind is right, the world ight start to make a little more sense… At least a little." Whitey muttered, still trying t compose himself.

"Coach, I don't know what to do." Lucas breathed out. "I lost Keith, Nathan, and the game. What is next?"

"Luke, I pray every night nothing else. None of this makes any sense but maybe if you look close enough, you can find something that wasn't there before. Maybe a piece to the puzzle that just fits. May be it will fit better than a version we have all accepted."

**_It's okay to be angry and never let go_**

**_It only gets harder_**

**_The more that you know_**

**_When you get lonely_**

**_If no one's around you know that_**

**_I'll catch you when you're falling down_**

"Miss Scott,"

Haley heard her name called, which brought her out of daze.

"Yes?" she replied.

"Principal Turner wants to see you." The teacher said as the woman handed Haley a pass to the principal's office.

Haley got up, grabbed the pass, and walked out of the room silently.

She was tired of all the pitying stares she received everyday. The stares that said "Aww, the girl lost her husband. Poor thing."

Well, she wasn't a poor little thing, she could handle herself.

Just as Haley was rounding the corner to Principal Turner's office, a stabbing pain went through her. Pain that Haley hadn't felt since the Doctor had pronounced Nathan dead. This pain was only a little less because she was already partially numb from what had happened before.

The pain became too much as she fell to the ground, right before she hit the ground, she saw Nathan.

_"It will be alright Hales," was all he said._

Haley only had one more thought before she passed out from the pain.

_How would it be okay without him?_

_**We came together but you left alone**_

_**And I know how it feels to walk out on your own**_

_**Maybe someday**_

_**I will see you again**_

Karen walked down the hall and entered Haley's apartment with the key Lucas had given her. She knew Haley wasn't doing well at all, so she figure she would come over and clean up the apartment and stock her fridge so she wouldn't have to worry about food. She also left some money under the lamp of the coffee table.

Bills had to be paid somehow and Haley was in no position to be working.

Karen was attempting to clear the counter when she saw the phonebook opened and a number circled for a clinic in the city. A clinic that was the only place that was near by that preformed abortions. Karen gasped at the thought.

She also saw as she looked on the other side of the counter an envelope that was already open. She took the letter out and read the contents.

_Dear Mr. Scott,_

_We here at Duke University are pleased to offer you a Full Scholarship fro Basketball this Fall. We hope you accept this offer…_

She stopped reading after that.

This was so unfair. One life taken away. And Haley was thinking about ending another one? This all was too crazy to even attempt to understand.

_**And you'll look me in my eyes and call me your friend**_

_**Take you away from that empty apartment**_

Lucas finally decided to leave the gym and goes to class. His thoughts were interrupted when his phone vibrated in his pocket.

"Hello?" He answered.

"Honey, it's me." Karen spoke.

"What's up Mom? I was sorta on my way to class."

"Lucas, listen to me. You need to find Haley. Is she in school today? We need to get to her!" Karen said frantically.

"Whoa, hold up Mom, What are you talking about?" Lucas asked.

"I found Haley's Phone book opened to a page that had a number for an abortion clinic." was all Karen said.

"Mom, Haley wouldn't do that." Lucas said, in denial.

"I think Haley is in a lot of pain right now and she is not in her right mindset. We have to find her now Lucas. NOW!" Karen shouted into the phone.

"Okay Mom I'll… HALEY!" was all Karen heard Lucas say.

Lucas found Haley on the floor of the Hallway, unconscious.

He quickly hung up on his mother and dialed 911. He grabbed her cold hand and kissed the backside of it.

"Come on Hales, I can't lose you. Not you. Please not again. I won't be able to survive it." Lucas sobbed to his best friend.

_**You stay and forget where the heart is**_

_**Someday**_

_**If ever you love me you'd say its okay**_

_**It's okay**_

_**It's okay**_

_This all WASN'T okay, it would never be again._

A/N: Love it? Hate it? Drop a review! Please? It makes me write faster!

I usually am not good at cliffhangers, how did I do? Let me know please! I tried not to be too bad.

Thanks all!


	6. Home

**Slipped Away**

Summary: Nathan dies when he tried to save Rachel and Cooper. But is he really gone?

A/N: Yes, I am starting another story. This will be a few chapters at most. I know I still have Always and Forever and The Hero Lives in this One, but just had this bit of inspiration when I watched the Championship episode when Keith came back. I love Nathan and I think he is such an important character to the show and he affects everyone, not just Haley or Lucas. I just feel Nathan has sort of been left out a lot in the current season, maybe I am imagining it. Anyway, here it is.

This is probably the second to last chapter for this story. I don't to become redundant. I have covered most of the emotions that I wanted to and I feel I should wrap it up. Sorry to any of you who think it shouldn't be the end. I don't want to end it but I have to work on my other two stories in progress Always and Forever and The Hero lives in this one, those are supposed to be longer stories so I have to work on them. Thanks for all of the reviews and keep them coming!

This song for the chapter is Home by the Foo Fighters

Chapter Six: Home

_Previously…_

"_I found Haley's Phone book opened to a page that had a number for an abortion clinic." was all Karen said._

"_Mom, Haley wouldn't do that." Lucas said, in denial._

"_I think Haley is in a lot of pain right now and she is not in her right mindset. We have to find her now Lucas. NOW!" Karen shouted into the phone._

"_Okay Mom I'll… HALEY!" was all Karen heard Lucas say._

_Lucas found Haley on the floor of the Hallway, unconscious._

_He quickly hung up on his mother and dialed 911. He grabbed her cold hand and kissed the backside of it._

"_Come on Hales, I can't lose you. Not you. Please not again. I won't be able to survive it." Lucas sobbed to his best friend._

_This all wasn't okay, it would never be again._

_**Wish I were with you but I couldn't stay**_

_**Every direction leads me away **_

_**Pray for tomorrow but for today **_

_**And all I want is to be home**_

It was one night after Keith Scott had died. Hearts were healing and new lives were beginning. Little did many know that one would end yet again. A conversation took place. A conversation Haley Scott would never believe was supposed to warn her for what life was about to throw at her.

Haley and Nathan were just a husband and wife. Laying out under the stars on Tree Hill High's football field, these two were just so in love nothing else mattered.

Nathan turned to Haley and began to speak, his eyes never leaving hers, " I want you to know something. If anything ever happens to me, if you, if you ever lose me- "

"Nathan," Haley said, stopping him, not wanting to hear the depressing words that he was about to say.

But Nathan kept going, "I want you to know how happy you made me. How wonderful my life was with you and how I'll always be with you." He smiled as he gazed into her eyes.

"Nothing's going to happen to you." Haley said confidently.

"I know. I know, you're right. But if it does, I just, I want you to be okay, Haley. And know that you made me happy."

_**Stand in the mirror you look the same **_

_**Just looking for shelter from the cold and the pain**_

_**Some want to cover, safe from the rain **_

_**And all I want is to be home**_

Lucas tried calling Haley's mother cell phone another time, hoping her would get answer.

"Please pick up, please pick up," was all he was able to mutter as he heard the ringing.

"Hello?" he heard Lydia saying at the other end of the phone.

"Mrs. James? It's Lucas." Lucas said.

"Well, long time no talk son, how is my daughter and son-in-law doing? How was the wedding? We wished we could have been there…"

"Haley didn't tell you?" was all Lucas said.

"Well me and Jimmy decided to go backpacking through Europe. We have been incommunicado for a few weeks. Why? What is the matter dear?"

"Oh god." Lucas said in the phone, trying to control the sobbing.

"Lucas what happened?" Lydia whispered into the phone.

"Mrs. James you have to come home now." Lucas couldn't muster anymore.

"Sweetie what happened? Is it Haley? Nathan?"

"Yes"

"What?" Lydia questioned.

"Nathan is gone." Lucas said, unable to keep it inside of him any longer.

"He left her? That doesn't sound like Nathan…"

Lucas cut her off, " No, Mrs. James, Nathan didn't leave Haley, at least not intentionally."

"Then what do you mean he is gone?"

"Nathan is gone, meaning he died. The day of the wedding, two people stole their wedding limo and accidentally crashed it over a bridge. Nathan and Haley were on their way to the airport to go on their honeymoon… And they saw the limo go off the bridge. Nathan knew that there was no way an ambulance could make it there in time, so he jumped off it to try to save them. He was able to save both of them. But he didn't make it. He had too much water in his lungs." Lucas finished the story with tears streaming down his face.

"Oh Lucas, I can't believe this. Is Haley okay?" Lydia sounded like she was crying.

"No, actually, she is in the hospital right now. I found her unconscious in the hallway. She found out she was pregnant, and something happened."

"Oh my baby. Lucas, we are in New York right now. We will be there as soon as we can." That was all Lucas heard as the call ended.

_**Echoes and silence, patience and grace, **_

_**All of these moments I'll never replace**_

_**No fear of my heart, no absence of faith **_

_**And all I want is to be home**_

Haley felt like she slept for days. But when she opened her eyes, she wasn't in her hospital room.

She was on the docks, at the table where she and Nathan had their first tutoring session.

"Hey Hales," She heard a voice that she hadn't heard in too long.

"Nathan?"

"How are you?" Nathan asked.

"Where are we?" Haley asked.

"In your mind, sort of. You are in a coma right now." Nathan explained.

She was incredibly confused. "You have been putting a lot of stress on you body Hales. The not eating and sleeping was taking a toll on you and our baby."

Haley, looked down at her hands in her lap, " I'm sorry Nathan, I just miss you so much. I don't know what to do without you!" She said as she launched herself into his arms.

"I miss you too Haley, but I haven't left you, not really."

"Oh shut up. You are gone. Don't pull all of this 'I am with you in your heart' crap. I don't buy it and don't want it. All I want is you. Can you take me with you?"

"Hales, don't talk like that."

"I'm serious. I want to be with you. I don't care about living. I don't want o do it without you."

"Always and Forever."

"Exactly Nathan. You said you would always protect me. You promised me Well, taking me with you would be protecting me. Protecting me from a world without you."

"Haley, you have to stay here. You have to raise our son."

"His life will be empty without you."

"He won't have a life if you don't go back." Nathan pointed out.

"So this is it? This is goodbye?"

"This is I'll see you soon. It's never goodbye for us."

"Then I'll see you soon."

"Always and forever Hales."

"I love you Nathan."

"Never forget I love you too." Nathan said as he kissed her on the lips on last time.

_**All I want is to be home**_

The doctor came out into the waiting room.

"Lucas Scott?" he asked.

Luke jumped up from his seat. "Is Haley okay?"

"Mrs. Scott is awake, you can see her now."

And Lucas thanked god, he didn't lose another person her loved.

But, there is always a but. Little did he know that in a few months a new life would begin, and another would yet again be taken away…

_**People I've loved, **_

_**I have no regrets **_

_**Some I remember some I forget**_

_**Some of them living some of them dead**_

_**And all I want is to be home**_

A/N: Love it? Hate it? Drop a review! Please? It makes me write faster!

Thanks All!


	7. Seasons Change

**Slipped Away**

Summary: Nathan dies when he tried to save Rachel and Cooper. But is he really gone?

A/N: I know I still have Always and Forever and The Hero Lives in this One, but just had this bit of inspiration when I watched the Championship episode when Keith came back. I love Nathan and I think he is such an important character to the show and he affects everyone, not just Haley or Lucas. I just feel Nathan has sort of been left out a lot in the current season, maybe I am imagining it. Anyway, here it is. This is the last chapter. Thank you all for all of the reviews!! I now have a few ideas for my other stories, so keep your eyes peeled for those updates!

_The italics text in the beginning is part of Lucas' book._

Chapter Seven: Seasons Change

**_Seasons change  
They change when you dont seemt o notice  
All of a sudden, wind grows cold  
And then the snowflakes start to fall  
It's kinda like when fell in love with you  
I, I didnt even notice when you didnt love me anymore_**

_Letting go is something__ we all have trouble doing. Some people say that letting go is the same thing as acceptance, but that is a lie. Letting go isn't moving on. Letting go is forgetting something to ease the pain. I don't want the pain to go away. I f the pain goes away, what will remind me of the loss that effects everyone's life? Nathan's death made everyone's life worse. How can you let go of that? _

_People wonder why I get angry when they tell me "Luke, you just have to let HIM go."_

_Many say that you end up stronger if you let it go and move on. But how can you be stronger if you feel like you lost a piece of yourself? That you are only a fractions of the person that you used to be? How do you deal with that?_

_No, I won't let go. How do you let your brother go and act as if he never existed. _

_Have I accepted his death? Yes_

_Have I accepted that he isn't coming back? Yes_

_Will I ever let him go? Never_

_**Theres a blue, theres a blue sky on my left and a pink sky on my right  
And I'm driving down the 92 where the bridge looks like it touches the sky  
And i'm thinking to ymself  
Where did all the time go  
And why cant I remember  
What it was like when I was young  
Seasons change**_

"_Hey Luke," Haley greeted him as she walked into the room._

"_What's up Hales?" Lucas asked his best friend_

"_I just wanted to know something. I wanted to know if it has gotten easier for you? Has the pain lessened?" She asked, desperate for an answer. _

_Luke's heart broke. "Sometimes, but I just think I am numb to the pain. It was just too much to deal with, but got used to feeling it. I don't really want it to go away." _

"_I am scared Luke. Today, I woke up, and for the first time in a year, I couldn't feel him around me. I think he is really gone. I can't feel him with me anymore…What am I going to do?"_

"_He's not gone Hales, you are just healing. That doesn't mean you are forgetting him. It just means that you are learning to live without him, despite the pain you feel. Just don't ever let him go."_

"_Always and forever, right?"_

_**And you grow a little older  
Noone stays the same  
And my heart grows a little colder  
Im standing in a parking lot  
Of some suburban shopping mall  
And I'm dressed in my work uniform making friends with all  
The vacant cars  
And I'm thinking to myself  
I gotta make a big decision today and I hope I choose a better tomorrow  
Rather then a better yesterday  
Seasons change**_

It kills me to know that my son has to live without me. But he has Lucas. I know that he will be a great uncle like Keith was to him. I just never thought I would end up like Dan, even if it wasn't my choice.

Haley would scream at me for thinking like that. She would tell me that I am in no way my father. I didn't choose to leave my son.

But the truth is that I never did leave him. I have never stopped watching.

Jamie is a great kid. He is everything a father could want in a son. Happy and smart. Totally unlike me as a kid, so that makes me even happier. Jamie played basketball, was on varsity freshman year. Whitey was able to coach him for two years until he passed away, calmly in his sleep. Whitey was an incredibly happy man, and even happier to be with his wife again.

_**And you grow a little older  
Nothing stays the same  
The past becomes the future  
Seasons change  
And you grow a little older  
Noone stays the same  
And my heart grows a little warmer**_

Haley supported Jamie every step of the way in everything he did. She did record another album. "Always and Forever" was its title. She got her teaching degree from UNC, where Luke and she attended. Haley went back to Tree Hill to teach and settle down.

When she would talk to me, she said it was because it made her feel close to me. But what she didn't realize was that wherever she was, I was.

She toured for a little while when Jamie when to college. Haley Scott was a name to remember in the music world. I am so proud of her.

Lucas went on to publish his novel, "Never Letting Go", and then went on to publish two more novels "An Unkindness of Ravens" and "The Comet", all three best sellers.

I guess we were all waiting to see who he would choose? Peyton or Brooke. Well, it was neither. It was both.

He loved them both. And because he loved them both, he kept their friendship solid. He married his book editor. Lindsay.

Peyton, after high school, decided to go to The Savannah College of Art and Design. It took a while to convince Jake he was the one for her, but it happened for them. They were a family.

Brooke, of course, went on to be a big time fashion designer of "Clothes over Bro's", with the help of Peyton, assisting in the artwork for the line.

Peyton was also able to open her own record company : Red Room Records- which produced Haley's Album.

Dan killed himself soon after Lucas found out that he was responsible for Keith's death. The guilt ate at him, until their was nothing left but a body without a soul- a body that didn't have much of a soul to begin with.

My mom moved away to live with Cooper, she couldn't take Tree Hill anymore, she got better. She became the person that she longed to be- Deb Lee. She was finally free from Dan. She was at peace.

_**My heart turns a little warmer  
Everything turns it turns it turns it turns  
Seasons change  
And you grow a little wiser  
Nothing stays the same  
The past becomes the future**_

Life continued after I was gone. It hadn't stopped. I just wish I was a part of it. But I wasn't. But wounds heal with time. Some take longer that others. But I will rest in peace knowing my family was happy.

"_Mommy?" _

"_Yeah sweetie?" Haley answered Jamie as she was getting dinner ready. _

"_What happened to Daddy? I see him in pictures, but you never told me where he went. Is he coming back?" The four year old broke her heart._

"_Jamie, Daddy died. He isn't coming back, as much as we want him to. But I want you to know something. He was the best person I ever knew." Haley answered, tears in her eyes. _

"_Why?"_

"_Because he loved us unconditionally. He would do anything for anyone. And he gave me you. I love him very much."_

"_But I thought he was gone, how can we still love him?" Jamie asked confused._

"_Honey, Daddy isn't really gone. Sometimes, if we close our eyes and wish really hard, we can feel him around us. I know he always is."_

"_Momma, I have been wishing real hard, but I don't feel him. Why can't I feel him? Is something wrong with me?" _

"_Not at all sweetie. I know it's hard. But your Daddy loves you. He would be so proud of you. He is."_

_They continued eating dinner in silence, each thinking about the conversation they had just had. _

_Later that night, Haley was tucking Jamie in bed and he said something that told her that everything would be okay. _

"_Momma?"_

"_Yeah Sweetie?" Haley asked her son._

"_I wished really hard. I think it worked." Jamie said, his blue eyes sparkling. _

"_What worked?" She asked confused. _

"_I wished that I could feel Daddy. I feel him Momma. I want to be a hero just like him."_

_Haley hadn't told Jamie, she hadn't told him how he died. _

"_Honey, how did you know that?"_

"_Momma, he is my hero."_

_And that was the moment she felt him again, he was all around her. _

_**Seasons change**_

_**Only the cherry blossoms they bloom again **_

_**Only the cherry blossoms they bloom again**_

_**They will bloom, they will bloom  
**_

Even though he slipped away right through her fingers, she kept a piece of him. Haley had Jamie.

Nathan took comfort in the fact that everyone was happy, even though he couldn't be apart of that happiness.

_**The End.**_

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